Last-rack



(No Model.) I I P. W. $T NEY.

LASTR No. 459.537. Patented Sept. 15, 1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT OF ICE.

FRED V. STICKNEY, OF FOND DU LAO, XVISOONSIN.

LAST-rRACK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 459,537, datedSeptember 15, 1891.

Application filed June 23, 1890. $erial No. 356,421. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRED STICKNEY, of Fond du Lac, in the county of Fonddu Lac and State of \Visconsin, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Last-Racks; and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which willenable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and usethe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to theletters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

The main objects of my invention are. to provide for the orderly andsystematic arrangement of shoe-makers lasts and to afford ready accessto any particular last without the necessity of handling others.

It consists, essentially, of a series of racks provided \vit-hseparatereceptacles for individual lasts and supported by a standard or uprightshaft, on which they are capable of turning.

In the accompanying drawings like letters designate the same parts inboth figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view of one of the sections .of the last-rack, andFig. 2 is a vertical section of a portion of my improved rack, composedof a series of such sections placed one above another.

A A represent the sections of which the rack is composed, mounted oneabove another upon an upright shaft B, which may be held at the ends incollars b or other suitable fastenings, attached one to the floor andthe other to the ceiling of the room or apartment in which the rack isplaced; or for the purpose of making the rack portable the upright shaftB may be held in a suitable base or frame.

Each of the sections of which the rack is composed consists of a centralsleeve 0 and of a circular wire frame attached thereto. The sleeves 0,preferably made of cast-iron, are formed at their upper ends withoutwardly-projecting flanges c, with a series of vertical perforationstherein, and just above their lower ends with flanges or outwardlyprojecting shoulders 0, having a corresponding series of radiating holesor sockets.

The wire racks are each composed of an outer circular wire D and anumber of radiating wire arms E, bent around the wire D,

to which they are attached, and extending therefrom. inwardly invertically-diverging lines toward the center, the ends of the upperbranches 6 being booked and inserted in the perforations in the flange cof sleeve 0, and the ends of the lower branches 6' being threaded,provided with nuts e and'inserted in the radiating holesor sockets inthe lower ends of said sleeves, with the nuts e resting against theflanges or shoulders c. The lower branches 6 of the arms E serve asbraces to support the outer edges of the racks and the load sustainedthereon, the upper branches 6 6 being approximately in a horizontalplane.

To the lower branches 6' of the arms E, at a suitable distance inside ofthe wire D, is attached a wire F, serving, with the wire D, to support aseries of lasts arranged side by side around the outer edge of the rack,as indicated by dotted lines in a circular series.

G is a wire attached a short distance inside of the wire F to the upperbranches e of the arms E and serving as a' back-rest for the lasts tohold them in proper position upon the supporting-wires B and F. Thespace between the wires D and G is divided into a number of separatereceptacles, each adapted to receive an individual1ast,by the radiatingwires (1 a, attached at their outer ends to the wire D and at theirinner ends to the wire G. To provide for lasts of varying sizes, thewires F and G may be spirally bent, as shown in Fig. 1, so as to producea series of last-receptacles of gradually varying lengths. By means ofthe nuts 6 the branches e of the arms E may be adj ust-ed to raise orlower the wires D, as desired. By this means any sag occurring in theouter edges of the sections can be easily remedied. The several sectionsof the rack are capable of turning on the central supporting-shaftindependently of the others, the central sleeve 0 of each section beingsupported upon the collar of the section next below it and in turnsupporting the section next above. The sleeve of the lower section restsupon a collar 1;, fixed to the shaft B, as shown in Fig. 2. This collarmay be made adjustable upon the shaft, as shown, so as to set the lowersection of the rack at any desired distance from the floor.

To facilitate finding and properly replacing ers or tags cl (1 may beattached to the sections A A adjacent to the several receptacles orgroups of receptacles, indicating the size of lasts therein.

It is obvious that racks of different capacities may be produced byeither providing more or less sections or by varying the size of thesections and providing them with more or less divisions or receptacles.

Various changes may be made in the minor details of the device withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention.

I claim- I 1. In a1ast-rack, the combination of an "up rightsupporting-shaft, a series of rotary frames supported thereon one aboveanother and each consisting of a central sleeve mounted upon said shaft,radiating Wires attached to said sleeve at or near its ends andconverging in vertical planes toward their outer ends, and two or morehorizontal lastsupporting wires attached to said radiating wires,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In alast-rack, the combination of an upright supporting-shaft, aseries of frames supported thereon one above another and each consistingof a central sleeve, a circular wire connected with and supported fromsaid sleeve by two sets of radiating wires, one attached to the upperend and the other to the lower end of said sleeve, a heel-supportingwire attached to the lower set of radiating wires, a guard-wire attachedto the upper set of radiating wires, and radial partition-wires attachedto the guard-Wire at their inner ends and to the circularlast-supporting wire at their outer ends, substantially as and for thepurposes set forth.

3. In a last-rack, the combination of an upright supporting-shaft and aseries of rotary last-frames mounted thereon one above another and eachconsisting of a central sleeve,

. a number of radiating arms attached thereto,

a circular wire attached to and carried by the outer ends of saidradiating arms, a spirallycurved heel-supporting wire attached to saidarms, and a spirally-bent heel-rest or guardwire also carried by saidarms a short distance above and inside of the heel-supporting wire, andradial partition-wires attached at their outer ends to the circular wireand at their inner ends to the heel-rest or guardwire and formingtherewith a circular series of last receptacles of gradual-1y varyinglengths, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as "my own I affix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

FRED W. STIOKNEY. WVitnesses:

JOHN H. BURCH, O. E. SoA-LEs, Jr.

